Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Some folks dismiss what Barefoot Ken Bob and other barefoot running aficionados have to say about going shoeless -- in part because many of them look like slightly-crazed hippies. But now, scientists at Harvard have confirmed that barefoot running is likely to reduce the harsh impacts that often lead to injury. "[P]eople who run barefoot, or in minimal footwear, tend to avoid 'heel-striking,' and instead land on the ball of the foot or the middle of the foot." As a result, "these runners use the architecture of the foot and leg and some clever Newtonian physics to avoid hurtful and potentially damaging impacts, equivalent to two to three times body weight, that shod heel-strikers repeatedly experience."

According to the New York Times, "a small but growing number of evangelical churches ... have embraced mixed martial arts -- a sport with a reputation for violence and blood that combines kickboxing, wrestling and other fighting styles -- to reach and convert young men, whose church attendance has been persistently low." Why are some evangelicals flocking to MMA? Because "Jesus was a fighter."

Lastly, what's up with the Kinesis Personal Fitness Home Gym? The sleek, austere design is certainly attractive, but if the exertion level displayed by the sweat-free, sweater-clad people in the video below is any indication, this looks like a ridiculous waste of money, time and space.